Sealed cartridge magazine

ABSTRACT

An hermetically sealed magazine for feeding cartridges to an automatic rifle. The upper end of the magazine is provided with removable caps which seal coaxial apertures which form the opposite ends of a cartridge feed-passage. The caps are removed when the magazine is inserted into a rifle by severing devices which are integral with a magazine well on the rifle.

United States Patent 1 Jan. 25, 1972 Goldin I54] SEALED CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE [72] Inventor: Morris Goldin, Orange, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Hughes Tool Co., Culver City, Calif.

[22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1969 [2l] Appl. No.: 885,036

[52] US. Cl ..42/50 [5 l 1 Int. Cl. ..F41c 25/02 [58] Field of Search ..42/50, 87, 88

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,087,270 4/1963 Stoner ..42/50 Reed ....42/50 Fremont ..42l50 Primary ExaminerBenjamin A. Borchelt Assistant ExaminerC. T. Jordan Attorney-Smyth, Roston & Pavitt 5 7] ABSTRACT An hermetically sealed magazine for feeding cartridges to an automatic rifle. The upper end of the magazine is provided with removable caps which seal coaxial apertures which form the opposite ends of a cartridge feed-passage. The caps are removed when the magazine is inserted into a rifle by severing devices which are integral with a magazine well on the rifle.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJANZSIHYZ 3 638647 SHEET 1 0F 2 JANE/W36 Move/5 5 01.0

1 SEALED CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As firearms have become more sophisticated, it has been necessary to provide more protection for the various structural elements to prevent damage to critical parts. This is particularly true with respect to the protection of ammunition cartridges and the magazines in which they are carried for automatic rifle fire.

In recent years, firearm improvements have been made which allow automatic and semiautomatic use of caseless cartridges which have propellant powder molded to the projectile and exposed rather than encased within a shell. Such cartridges possess a variety of well-known, inherent advantages over other types of ammunition. However, they also possess a disadvantage in that they must be more carefully protected from moisture and dampness in order to provide effective firepower.

Most presently known magazines provide a container of a well-known shape, having an opening at its upper end which is formed by a pair of opposed lips. Cartridges are injected into the rifle from the magazine through that opening. The cartridges are nonnally driven upwardly toward the rifle by a spring positioned beneath the lowennost cartridge in the magazine. Examples of such magazines are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,087,270 to Stoner and 3,345,770 to Scanlon, Jr.

Such magazines, per se, will not provide suitable protection for the cartridges carried therein from the dampness and moisture which can ruin the propellant powder. In many instances, attempts have been made to provide such protection by covering the upper, open end of the magazine with a cap, such as that shown in the above-cited patent to Stoner. These attempts have proven to be partially successful but still allow moisture to reach the inside of the magazine to some extent, particularly when the magazine becomes submerged in water as may happen when a person carrying it fords a stream.

In the type of prior art magazine described above and shown in the cited U.S. patents, it has also been found that the size and shape of the lipped opening is critical to a large degree. If the lips should become damaged in any way, the magazine is rendered useless since it will either obstruct the removal of the cartridges from the magazine or obstruct the passage of the rifle bolt which drives the cartridges into the firing chamber. This, of course, is an inherent disadvantage which is present whether or not the cartridges are of the caseless or cased variety, and it can be obviated only through handling precautions which are sometimes difficult to observe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, a magazine is provided which has no damageable lips in the cartridge injection area, and which may be totally hermetically sealed to prevent moisture from reaching the cartridges under any conditions.

These results are accomplished by providing the magazine with an enclosed upper end which extends above the rifle bolt pasage when the magazine is inserted into a magazine well in a rifle. A passage is fonned by the upper end of the magazine and two coaxial openings in the magazine walls so that the rifle bolt or loading rammer can pass through the magazine, driving a projectile from it into the firing chamber. The coaxial openings, forming the ends of the passage at the front and rear walls of the magazine, are sealed by removable caps which are separated from the magazine by severing means which are integral with the rifle magazine well.

A magazine embodying these features is therefore far less fragile and capable of withstanding rougher handling than presently known magazines. Since it is hermetically sealed, caseless or cased cartridges may be stored within the magazine for long periods of time without moisture deterioration of the powder.

Other advantages and embodiments of the invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art through reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings which illustrate what is presently considered to be a preferred embodiment of the best mode contemplated for utilizing the novel principles set forth in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the magazine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation, also partly broken away, of the magazine of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the magazine of FIG. 1, as it is being inserted into a rifle magazine well, FIG. 5 having been partially broken away to show details of the magazine; and

FIG. 6 illustrates three chronologically consecutive views of the magazine well severing means removing one of the passage-end caps from the magazine, the first illustration generally taken along a line VI--VI of FIG. 4, and the succeeding views each taken along a successively higher line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 there is illustrated a magazine 11 carrying a plurality of cartridges 13. The lowermost cartridge 13 is acted upon by a follower plate I5 which is biased upwardly by a compression spring 17 to force the cartridges toward the top of the magazine.

The walls, upper end, and lower baseplate of the magazine outer sheel are formed so as to comprise a sealed surface through which water and moisture cannot pass. At the upper end of the front and back walls, a pair of apertures 19 and 21 are hermetically sealed by any suitable means, such as end caps 23 and 25, respectively. These end caps may be manufac tured of any suitable, severable material, such as plastic and may be fonned either as an integral part of the magazine or suitably bonded thereto.

The apertures 19 and 21 form, with the interior cavity of the maganne, a continuous passage into which the uppermost cartridge remaining in the magazine is forced by the follower plate 15 under the influence of the crfmpression spring 17.

Referring now "to FIGS. 4 and 5, a rifle 27 has been shown which is provided with one proposed embodiment of a magazine well. The magazine well 29 extends from the rifle and the magazine entry end thereof has been produced with an outwardly extending flared, or funnellike portion 31. The front and back walls of the well are also provided with openings 33, each bounded by the flared end 31 and intersecting severing edges 35 and 37.

In use, the upper end of the magazine 11 is inserted into the flared end 31 of the magazine well 29, the end caps 23 and 25 being of such dimension as to easily fit under the flared end and into the lower part of the openings 33. As the magazine is moved upwardly, a reduced diameter portion 39 on each end cap enters into contact with the severing edges 35 and 37. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, as the magazine is moved still further into the well 29, the edges 35 and 37 sever the end caps from the magazine, exposing the openings 19 and 21. The end caps fall away, as indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6(0) and may be disposed of in any desired manner. As the magazine is moved still further into the well, the openings 19 and 21 move into a properly aligned position with the rifle bolt or loading rammer 28 (FIG. 5) so that the bolt or rammer will travel through the passage formed thereby, in successive cycles, to drive each cartridge into the firing chamber as it is raised into the passage.

The magazine may be held within the well in any suitable manner, such as through the use of well-known locking buttons 41 on one of the walls thereof.

Thus, one embodiment of a new and improved concept yielding a true advance in the cartridge magazine art has been provided. Many modifications and alterations of this and other embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, wherefore, what is claimed as the invention is:

a front wall and a rear wall and means in said cavity for forcing cartridges in a direction away from said baseplate a passage for removal of cartridges from said cavity and formed by an enclosing upper wall of said magazine integral with said sidewalls and completely enclosing the end of said magazine opposite said baseplate,

an aperture in said magazine front wall adjacent said upper wall, and

an aperture in said magazine rear wall adjacent said upper wall and coaxially aligned with said front wall aperture for passage of a rifle bolt through said passage.

2. The cartridge magazine of claim 1 including means enclosing said front wall and rear wall apertures for preventing moisture from entering said cavity.

3. The cartridge magazine of claim 1 including means providing a removable seal structure for hermetically sealing said front wall and rear wall apertures.

4.-The cartridge magazine of claim 3 and rifle means having a magazine well for accepting said magazine including severing edges thereon for removing said seal means from said front and rear wall apertures said magazine is inserted into said magazine well on said rifle means.

5. A magazine for storage and feeding of cartridges including metically sealed and including removable sealing means in each of said coaxially aligned apertures.

* t i i i 

1. In a cartridge magazine having a cartridge storage cavity bounded by a baseplate sidewalls, a front wall and a rear wall and means in said cavity for forcing cartridges in a direction away from said baseplate a passage for removal of cartridges from said cavity and formed by an enclosing upper wall of said magazine integral with said sidewalls and completely enclosing the end of said magazine opposite said baseplate, an aperture in said magazine front wall adjacent said upper wall, and an aperture in said magazine rear wall adjacent said upper wall and coaxially aligned with said front wall aperture for passage of a rifle bolt through said passage.
 2. The cartridge magazine of claim 1 including means enclosing said front wall and rear wall apertures for preventing moisture from entering said cavity.
 3. The cartridge magazine of claim 1 including means providing a removable seal structure for hermetically sealing said front wall and rear wall apertures.
 4. The cartridge magazine of claim 3 and rifle means having a magazine well for accepting said magazine including severing edges thereon for removing said seal means from said front and rear wall apertures said magazine is inserted into said magazine well on said rifle means.
 5. A magazine for storage and feeding of cartridges including a cartridge cavity bounded by a baseplate, an upper wall, and upstanding walls extending between said baseplate and said upper wall, and coaxially aligned apertures in an opposed pair of said upstanding walls for passage of cartridges from said cavity, said coaxially aligned apertures forming the only means of communication between the inside and the outside of said magazine.
 6. The magazine of claim 5 including removable means for sealing said coaxially aligned apertures.
 7. The magazine of claim 5 wherein said magazine is hermetically sealed and including removable sealing means in each of said coaxially aligned apertures. 